When it was over; after Brad Johnson had grunted his 126th pitch past the batter for a swinging-third strike; after his teammates had mobbed Johnson for his gritty performance; Butch Brown called his New Bloomfield VFW players together in front of their dugout — and promptly cracked with emotion.

The Vet skipper had ample reason.

On Aug. 8, at Shikellamy High School, New Bloomfield overcame the absence of three starters and one of its top pitchers, the ejection of its offensive spark, three errors and a boatload of missed opportunities to knock down Sunbury 6-2.

With the win, Bloomfield swept the Aces in the best-of-five West Branch sandlot championship series to claim its third straight playoff title and seventh overall dating back to 2001.

“This was a great year, maybe the best ever,” said Brown, whose ballclub wrapped a dazzling 25-5 campaign with a 6-1 romp through playoffs. “Going into the season, (assistant) Tommy (Gehers) and I didn’t know what we’d have. Winning a championship wasn’t on our mind — we were just trying to make the playoffs.

“These kids really came through.”

Brown, as has been the case in each of the last seven seasons, had to deal with significant players missing due to a wedding.

Thanks to the deepest, most-talented roster in the West Branch, the Vet didn’t miss a beat.

Brown moved Justin Zitsch from right to center to cover for Scott Fisher, plugged Jimmy Baum in at short to replace Ryan Hostetter, installed Branden Brown at second and Travis Lepperd at third, and surrounded Zitsch with wily veterans Greg Knaub and Eric Fisher in the outfield.

Each made real contributions.

But first, Bloomfield struggled.

Facing Ace starter Josh Haines, the Vet loaded the bases with one out on a walk to Brown and singles by Lepperd and Johnson. Haines got out of the jam by getting Jason Nace to bounce a tailor-made double play grounder to short.

Johnson, who stymied the Aces in game, surrendered an unearned run in the home half of the inning.

Sunbury leadoff hitter Steve Herring reached on an error. One out later, Ace catcher Jared Auman sliced a run-scoring double down the left-field line, but was stranded when Zitsch ran down two rips to center.

“We had a chance to put Brad in a deep hole,” said Ace manager Randy Herring. “But he’s a battler and Zitsch is an excellent outfielder. Brad made pitches and (Bloomfield) sucked it up and made plays.”

Haines eased through a 1-2-3 second and fanned Fisher to open the third, but walked Baum.

That served as a catalyst for the Vet offense.

Baum stole second and moved up to third when Brown beat out an infield hit. One out later, Johnson reached on an error that loaded the bases and Nace, on a 3-2 count, lined a two-run single to the gap in left-center, giving Johnson a 2-1 lead.

“Bloomfield takes advantage of every mistake you make,” Herring said. “You have to give them credit for that.”

Thanks to the Aces, the Vet was back for more in the third.

Ben Morrow was safe on an error, Zitsch hustled out a bunt for a single, then Fisher sacrificed them up a base.

Baum followed by gapping a double to left that scored Morrow and Zitsch, putting the Vet up 4-1.

“That was a big hit in a clutch situation by Jimmy,” said Brown. “We needed runs and he came through.”

Moments later, Baum took off trying to steal third, but Branden Brown lined to short. Baum slid hard into the bag, causing a bench-clearing dustup that sent him and the Ace third baseman to the sidelines.

It also forced Butch Brown to find a solution to the suddenly gaping holes in his middle infield. He shifted Branden Brown to short and Eric Fisher to second. The move started paying off the next inning.

Johnson, clearly laboring, walked Sunbury’s leadoff hitter on five pitches. Then, after Knaub caught up a dangerous rip to the left-field corner, Johnson got a ground ball up the middle that Branden Brown deflected to Fisher for a force at second. Johnson, who finished with eight strikeouts, but walked six, fanned Kyle Raynes on four pitches.

“I told Eric, ‘We don’t need you to be spectacular.’ We just needed him to make the plays he could make,” Brown explained. “Eric’s been around. He knows how to play wherever we put him.”

Two frames later, the Vet polished off another two-run burst. Fisher, whose playing time has been limited by new, younger talent and family responsibilities, delivered the big hit.

Knaub roped a single to center to start the rally and moved up to second on Morrow’s sac bunt. When Zitsch’s routine infield pop was mishandled, the Vet had runners on first and second with Fisher coming to the plate.

Fisher, who looked bad striking out in the second inning, swung hard and missed early in the count, but found a pitch to his liking, drilling a shot to center that scored both Knaub and Zitsch, who steamed around third close on Knaub’s tail.

“Eric’s been struggling with the bat,” Butch Brown said. “Friday night, at batting practice, we worked trying to get him to stay back on the ball. That was another big hit.”

Armed with a five-run lead, but wearied by an 81-pitch load, Johnson seemed to be running on fumes.

Randy Herring singled to start the sixth then, one out later, Johnson issued a pair of walks that loaded the bases. A strikeout and a fielder’s choice groundout stilled the threat, but forced him to make 22 pitches.

“After the fifth inning, I asked Brad how he felt. He said his arm hurt like hell,” Brown said. “He told me, ‘Let me go until I get in trouble.’”

Trouble came quickly in the bottom of the seventh when Steve Herring lifted a fly ball to right-center.

Zitsch made the long run and got to the ball, but dropped it when he collided with right fielder Logan Sheaffer.

“That was all my fault. I didn’t call (Logan) off,” Zitsch said. “I still should have caught it. I had it in my glove.”

A single put runners on the corners, but Johnson, willing fastballs with a throbbing elbow, fanned Auman on four pitches. A ground ball to short scored a run, but became the second out. A Vet error gave the Aces one last chance to get back in the game, but Johnson got Eric Musser to swing and miss at one last fastball — remarkably his 45th pitch of the final two innings — and Bloomfield had its title.

“Brad’s arm was still sore from the last game, but he wanted to go today,” said Butch Brown. “If we get him three-four runs a game, we’ll win. He’s been money since we got him.”

West Branch playoff notes
In the finals, Johnson pitched 14 innings, picked up two wins and had a .50 ERA. Over four years with New Bloomfield the veteran right-hander is 7-2 in postseason games.

Over the Vet’s seven-game playoff run, Baum was its unmistakable offensive catalyst. The West Perry grad hit .368, reached base on 12 of his 24 plate appearances and produced 14 runs.

In the three-game title round, Johnson and Jason Nace shared the team lead with four hits apiece. Nace also knocked in a team-best four runs.